The Latest: Mayor says people still missing after blaze

November 17, 2017

In this Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017 photo, residents are evacuated from the Barclay Friends Senior Living Community during a fire in West Chester, Pa. At least 20 people were injured in the massive fire at the senior living community about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. (Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on a massive fire at a senior living community in Pennsylvania: (all times local):

2:45 p.m.

A Pennsylvania mayor says there are still some people missing after a massive fire at a senior living center injured nearly 30 people.

West Chester Mayor Jordan Norley said Friday that it’s unclear how many people are unaccounted for in the late-night blaze at the Barclay Friends Senior Living Community.

He says there aren’t any confirmed fatalities.

An emergency management official says that much of the scene is too unstable for investigators to enter.

The fire was brought under control around 1:30 a.m. Friday and firefighters are still dousing smoldering hotspots.

Many neighbors helped with the rescue effort, wrapping the elderly in blankets and carrying them to ambulances in makeshift gurneys.

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12:30 p.m.

A spokeswoman for a Pennsylvania hospital says seven patients have been admitted with conditions related to smoke inhalation following a massive fire at a senior living center that injured about 20 people.

Spokeswoman Bridget Therriault said Friday that the seven patients at Paoli Hospital are in fair condition after the late-night Thursday blaze at the Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester.

Nearby residents say firefighters are still dousing hotspots after bringing the fire under control around 1:30 a.m. Friday.

Multiple neighbors say they helped with the rescue effort, wrapping the elderly in blankets and carrying them to ambulances in makeshift gurneys.

An investigation into what caused the blaze is underway.

A huge fire has broken out at a senior living community in Pennsylvania. The blaze was reported just before 11 p.m. Thursday at Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester, about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. (Nov. 17)

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11:50 a.m.

A spokeswoman for a Pennsylvania senior living center says a massive fire that injured about 20 people likely began in the complex’s personal care facility.

Kendal Corp. spokeswoman Colleen Ryan Mallon said Friday there were about 132 residents present when fire ripped through the Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester last Thursday.

She says Friday residents were taken to shelters and hospitals. The company is working to confirm that all are accounted for.

Mallon says fire officials at the scene haven’t told her anything about the cause of the blaze.

The fire quickly spread to multiple buildings and flames shot from the roofs and windows. Residents evacuated into the cold night, and aerial footage showed dozens of them lined along the street, some wrapped in blankets and in wheelchairs.

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10:10 a.m.

Neighbors living around a Pennsylvania senior living center that went up in flames helped with the effort to clear the building during the inferno, wrapping elderly people in blankets and bringing them to ambulances.

Sixty-two-year-old Larry Kingsland says he and dozens of residents ran out to help as the inferno engulfed Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester late Thursday. About 20 people were injured.

He says that the neighbors rushed seniors to nearby medical personnel and, in some cases, used blankets as gurneys for residents who couldn’t walk.

Firefighters are still dousing smoldering hot spots on what remains of the building after bringing the blaze under control around 1:30 a.m. Friday. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.

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6:45 a.m.

Firefighters have gotten the upper hand on an inferno that swept through a senior living community in Pennsylvania, injuring at least 20 people.

The fire chief says the blaze at Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester was brought under control just before 1:30 a.m. Friday.

However, the chief would not comment on the extent of injuries or if there were any deaths. He also wouldn’t say how many residents lived at the senior living community about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of Philadelphia.

Emergency responders and volunteers shuttled residents bundled in blankets from the blaze, which started around 11 p.m. Thursday.

The chief says the investigation into the cause is ongoing.

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2:15 a.m.

At least 20 people were injured in a massive fire at a senior living community in Pennsylvania.

The blaze was reported around 11 p.m. Thursday at Barclay Friends Senior Living Community in West Chester, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of Philadelphia.

The fire quickly spread to multiple buildings and flames could be seen shooting from the roofs and windows of the structures. Residents were forced to evacuate outside into the cold. News helicopter video showed dozens of residents lined up along the street, wrapped in blankets, many of them in wheelchairs.

Chester County emergency officials said at least 20 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

A spokeswoman for Main Line Health said area hospitals also were providing shelter to some additional residents of the senior living community.